395
FXUS65 KBYZ 281526
AFDBYZ
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
826 AM MST WED JAN 28 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- COOLER AND SLIGHTLY WETTER CONDITIONS LINGER OVER EASTERN
MONTANA THIS WEEK INTO THE WEEKEND. CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW MAINLY
THURSDAY AND SATURDAY.
- WARMER AND MOSTLY DRY OVER SOUTH- CENTRAL MONTANA AND NORTH-
CENTRAL WYOMING THIS WEEK INTO THE WEEKEND.
- PERIODS OF GUSTY WINDS OVER THE FOOTHILLS WEST OF BILLINGS.
UPDATE
MOSTLY CLOUDY AND DRY CONDITIONS EXIST EARLY THIS MORNING,
UNDERNEATH SHORTWAVE RIDGING AND AHEAD OF A PACIFIC TROF MOVING
THRU WESTERN ID. THE UPSTREAM WAVE WILL INTRODUCE SNOW SHOWERS
OVER OUR WESTERN MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON, THEN SOME LIGHT PRECIP
AT LOWER ELEVATIONS TONIGHT ESPECIALLY EAST OF SURFACE TROF WHERE
SOME LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED. FORECAST HAS THIS
COVERED WELL. IN ADDITION, THERE WILL BE A WEAK SURFACE LOW
TRACKING THRU CENTRAL PORTIONS OF OUR CWA TONIGHT AND THIS WILL
RESULT IN BREEZY DOWNSLOPE WINDS ALONG THE WESTERN FOOTHILLS.
GUSTS ARE LIKELY TO REACH 40 MPH ALONG THE US-191 CORRIDOR (IN
ADDITION TO LIVINGSTON & SPRINGDALE), AND HAVE RAISED GUSTS
TONIGHT INTO EARLY THURSDAY. JKL
DISCUSSION
THROUGH WEDNESDAY...
THE UPPER LEVEL LOW CENTERED OVER NORTHERN ON AND HUDSON BAY WILL
CONTINUE TO REMAIN IN PLACE THROUGH THE WEEKEND WHICH WILL KEEP
WEATHER OVER MUCH OF THE CWA FAIRLY BENIGN FOR MOST OF THE WEEK.
THERE WILL BE SOME SHORTWAVES THAT ARE ABLE TO PROPAGATE THROUGH
THE AREA OVER THE NEXT WEEK WHICH WILL ALLOW FOR A FEW CHANCES OF
PRECIPITATION.
THE FIRST CHANCE FOR PRECIP COMES TODAY AS A TROUGH MOVES IN FROM
THE WEST. THIS WILL BE A SYSTEM LACKING MOISTURE SO NOT TOO MUCH
ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED ANYWHERE ACROSS THE CWA. A FEW INCHES OF
NEW SNOW IS FORECAST TO FALL ON WEST FACING ASPECTS OF ALL THE
MOUNTAIN RANGES WHICH, EVEN THOUGH IS PRETTY TRIVIAL FOR THIS
TIME OF YEAR, WILL BE QUITE WELCOME AS IT HAS BEEN OVER A WEEK
SINCE THE WESTERN SLOPES HAVE PICKED UP ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL. IT
WILL BE QUITE DIFFICULT FOR LOCATIONS TO THE WEST OF BILLINGS TO
PICK UP ANY ACCUMULATION DUE TO THE DOWNSLOPING ON THE LEE SIDE
OF THE MOUNTAINS. AREAS NEAR BILLINGS PROBABLY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO
PICK UP ANY ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL EITHER AS TEMPERATURES WILL
CONTINUE TO WARM OVER THE COMING DAYS AND DURING THE DAYTIME
HOURS THERE WILL LIKELY BE SOME RAIN MIXED IN WITH THE SNOW AS
HIGHS WIL BE IN THE UPPER 40S ON THURSDAY. OUT NEAR THE DAKOTAS THE
COLD AIR HASN'T MOVED, INSTEAD JUST BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY MODERATED.
WITH HIGHS IN THIS AREA STAYING AT OR BELOW FREEZING THURSDAY,
ALL PRECIP SHOULD BE IN THE FORM OF SNOW. LOCATIONS IN THE HILLS
OF FAR SOUTHEAST MT COULD PICK UP AROUND 2" THROUGH THURSDAY
NIGHT.
FOLLOWING THIS SYSTEM, THE MID TO UPPER LEVEL FLOW WILL REMAIN
WEST TO NORTHWESTERLY UNDER THE BUILDING RIDGE WHICH WILL KEEP
TEMPERATURES WARM FOR THE WESTERN 2/3 OF THE CWA. SOME SPOTS MAY
EVEN PUSH RECORD HIGHS AS TEMPS CLIMB INTO THE UPPER 50S OR EVEN
LOW 60S TO START WHAT IS TYPICALLY OUR COLDEST MONTH OF THE YEAR.
WITH THESE WESTERLY 700MB WINDS, SOME INCREASED GUSTS DURING THE
DAYTIME HOURS CAN BE EXPECTED IN AND AROUND BIG TIMBER AND
HARLOWTON. THESE GUSTS SHOULD NOT TO 50MPH. THESE WINDS COMBINED
WITH THE WARM TEMPS, AS WELL AS THE CLIMATOLOGICALLY DRY
CONDITIONS, MAY LEAD TO INCREASED FIRE DANGER TOWARDS THIS
WEEKEND. WMR
AVIATION
VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH THE DAY WITH INCREASING MID
TO HIGH CLOUDS. ALONG THE WESTERN FOOTHILLS (KLVM, K6S0), BREEZY
CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE WITH THE STRONGEST GUSTS (35-45 KTS)
AROUND KLVM THROUGH 19Z WED.
BY THIS AFTERNOON, SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP
OVER THE MOUNTAINS OF SOUTH-CENTRAL MONTANA, RESULTING IN
PERIODIC MTN TOP OBSTRUCTIONS. LIGHT SNOW AND MVFR-IFR CONDITIONS
ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER EASTERN MONTANA OVERNIGHT AND INTO
EARLY THURSDAY. THIS MAY IMPACT KMLS, KBHK AND KEKA. BT
PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS
TDY THU FRI SAT SUN MON TUE
-------------------------------------------------------
BIL 046 033/049 032/051 035/058 030/057 034/057 033/053
1/E 21/U 00/B 00/B 00/B 01/E 11/B
LVM 044 030/044 029/047 033/051 029/055 033/051 029/046
2/N 20/N 00/B 00/B 00/B 01/B 11/B
HDN 045 030/048 031/051 032/058 026/055 028/056 029/052
0/E 32/S 11/B 11/B 00/B 01/B 22/O
MLS 033 022/035 018/037 024/050 024/046 024/048 028/045
0/E 54/S 11/E 21/E 00/B 01/E 11/B
4BQ 042 029/040 025/040 024/050 026/050 027/051 030/046
0/E 34/S 12/S 21/B 00/B 01/B 12/O
BHK 029 017/028 010/025 012/042 022/040 020/043 023/039
0/E 66/S 22/S 34/O 10/B 01/E 12/S
SHR 045 028/043 026/046 026/053 025/055 028/055 026/046
0/E 32/S 11/B 11/B 00/B 01/B 33/O
BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
MT...NONE.
WY...NONE.
WEATHER.GOV/BILLINGS
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